The present invention relates to systems for feeding solutions to patients, and in particular to an enteral feeding system using pressure sensors to ensure that delivery of the solution by an enteral feeding pump is within desired parameters.
An enteral feeding system is used to provide nutrient solutions to patients who, for one reason or another, are unable to eat for themselves. Such a system typically includes a pump which is attached to an input tube connected to a supply container and to an output tube which is connected to a patient. The pump draws nutrient solution from the supply container and delivers the solution to the patient. By adjusting the speed at which a motor in the pump rotates a rotor, medical personnel can adjust the pump to deliver a predetermined amount of nutrient solution (or even medication) at a desired rate. The use of various types of enteral feeding systems is well known in the medical arts.
A significant problem with currently available enteral feeding systems, is that the intake and output tubes may become occluded. Occlusion can occur, for example, if a fibrous substance is included in the solution and somehow combines to interfere with flow through the tube. Occlusion can also occur if a tube is bent sufficiently to interfere with flow therethrough, or if a roller clamp (as is commonly used for intravenous applications) is not sufficiently loosened.
If the intake tube becomes occluded, insufficient solution may be supplied to the pump, and thus to the patient. If the output tube becomes occluded, the flow of solution may be blocked, or the solution may be delivered at unusually high pressures. Additionally, medical personnel may fail to notice that the supply container is out of solution, or may not properly mount the intake and/or output tubes in the pump, thereby preventing the proper amount of solution from being delivered to the patient. Any of these scenarios can have tragic consequences if medical personnel are not alerted in time.
To overcome these concerns, there is a need for a system and method for determining discrepancies due to occlusions and/or improper fitting of pumps and intake/output tubes so that patients will not be endangered.